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GREEK MYTHOLOGY: Meleager

MELEAGER (Greek: Meleagros) is a hero from Greek mythology who famously led an expedition to kill the Calydonian boar which was terrorizing the kingdom of Oeneus in Aetolia in central-western Greece. Appearing in Homer’s Iliad and the later epics the Ehoiai and Minyas, the story was a popular subject in Greek and later art from pottery decoration to sculpted sarcophagi.

The story of Meleager is first mentioned in Book 9 of Homer’sIliad, although the oral tradition is likely much older. The tale, modified by Homer, is recounted by Phoenix in order to persuade Achilles to rejoin the fighting during the Trojan War. Achilles was miffed that Agamemnon, leader of the Greek army, had stolen his beautiful war-prize Briseis. With things not going well, the desperate Greeks sent an embassy of Odysseus and Phoenix to convince the greatest Greek warrior to rejoin the fray. Accordingly, Meleager and the Calydonian boar hunt is used as a moral tale to show Achilles the right course of action.

Article and photos by Mark Cartwright on AHE